2. RPG tools
There are several tools that will make role playing easier both for players and moderators.

I. Character sheet
Even if you are doing a free form players and moderators will feel the need to have some information available on characters. An ideal online character sheet allows the player to log his continuing history, and the GM to put in both material that is publicly available as well as secret notes for other GM's. Players also love having the ability to include a portrait of their character but again, be aware of copyright issues here. Inform players of your policy on this and regularly check the character sheets. Having a character sheet will smooth the day to day running of your game. (needless to say, character sheets are best developed with the use of databases)

II. Dice
If your game system uses dice be sure that they can be operated by one easy push of a button and are immediately recorded. There is free software available on the net or you can let your webmaster develop his own.

III. Equipment
Players like to flesh out their characters with a list of equipment (both normal items and weapons) that suit the flavor of your game. You can offer this using a database. You can double this up as a price list for your shops.

IV. Phrase book
A list of proverbs and sayings that suit the flavor of your game gives a nice bit of detail as well as offering players a chance to smooth in with your game world without jarring the senses.

3. GM tools
GM's need tools to help them further the storylines as well as controlling misbehaving players. Try to make the life of your moderators as easy as possible. The more time you save them, the more time they will spend on moderating players instead of administration.

Technical details

One of the most important things is: give GM's editing access to the background material and anything else that is important to you. If they have to go through a third person every time it will only slow you down. If you have followed our advice you have gone through a careful selection process, now it is time to trust your GM's.

Make all background info easy to access and update by using an intranet or adminsite that is open only to moderators.

If your GM's are in charge of a particular area or subject of the game you could let them maintain one or more pages on your website to provide extra information. Remember though that this means letting go of some of the control over your creation.

If you don't allow more than one character per player, make sure your GM's can access the IP log or find another way of upholding that rule.

Allow your Senior GM's to ban IP's from the game

If you have a game system make sure the GM has a control panel that will minimize the amount of time he is spending on calculating and throwing dice.